Indy.com
Today:
Leap Day weekend fun
Posted: Feb 28, 2008 in Things to do
Tags:
RELATED EVENTS
VENUE INFO
Had enough of winter? Well, it's even longer this year, thanks to Leap Day.
The vagaries of our calendar year are responsible for bringing us this quadrennial extra day, says professor Brian Murphy, director of J.I. Holcomb Observatory at Butler University.
"Unfortunately, our year isn't in what we call an integer number of days," Murphy explains. "It's actually 365 and .24 and some-odd-change-there days. And because of that roughly quarter of a day, what would happen is -- after 100 years, if we could not have the Leap Day added every four years -- we'd be off by 25 days, or almost a month, on our calendar."
If your brain is starting to twitch from all the numbers, don't fret. Just make the most of the "bonus" 24 hours with one or more of these Leap Day (and weekend) activities.
See wildlife leap
The Indianapolis Zoo's dolphins are always ready to leap into the hearts of fans in the Marsh Dolphin Theater. Daily shows at 10:30.a.m. and 2:30.p.m. focus on a conservation message while demonstrating how zoo staffers care for their finned friends.
"We all love it, not just the fans, but the people who work here," says Sarah Burnette, the zoo's communications coordinator. "They do flips and spins -- it's just the most fun."
Also, don't forget to check out those cheerful penguins in the Oceans pavilion, or the host of reptiles -- including lizards and snakes -- and those ever-popular meerkats in the Deserts Biome, which is always nice and warm.
Where: The Indianapolis Zoo, 1200 W. Washington St.
When: 9.a.m. to 4.p.m. daily.
Tickets: $8.50 adults, $6.50 seniors 62 and older and children 2 to 12 (through today); $13.50 adults, $8.50 seniors 62 and older and children 2 to 12, free for ages 1 and younger (March 1-Oct. 31).
Info: (317) 630-2001, www.indyzoo.com.
Jive to jazz
This weekend offers plenty of opportunities to leap to the beat. Tonight at the University of Indianapolis, trumpeter Mark Buselli and trombonist Brent Wallarab will lead Indy's own Buselli Wallarab Jazz Orchestra in original big band tunes.
Today also marks the start of the UIndy Jazz Festival, featuring performances by top Indiana public school jazz bands. During festival hours, each band offers up a 25-minute performance, followed by critiques from local music pros.
And at Butler University, the Jazz Band of America takes to the Clowes Hall stage. This national honors band spotlights the musical talents of outstanding high school musicians from across America, conducted by jazz pianist Shelly Berg, as part of the Music For All National Festival.
Where: Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, University of Indianapolis, 1400 E. Hanna Ave. (Buselli Wallarab and UIndy Jazz Festival). Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave. (Jazz Band of America).
When: 7:30.p.m. today, Buselli Wallarab; 1 to 5.p.m. today and 8.a.m. to 5.p.m. Saturday, UIndy Jazz Festival; 8.p.m. today, Jazz Band of America.
Tickets: $10 adults, $5 seniors, free for students with ID (Buselli Wallarab); free (UIndy Jazz Festival); $29, $23 and $18 (Jazz Band of America).
Info: (317) 788-3251 or http://arts.uindy.edu (Buselli Wallarab and UIndy Jazz Festival); (317) 239-1000, (317) 239-5151 or www.clowes hall.org (Jazz Band of America).
Bounce back
Let the youngsters work off some pent-up winter energy with a trip to Fishers' Bounce Zone, an indoor playground focused on inflatable fun. This hot spot for the preteen set books up fast with parties, but tonight the fun is open to the public thanks to a "guaranteed open-jump night" that takes place the last Friday of every month.
Kids up to age 12 can leap, jump and bounce away on inflatable 18-foot slides, obstacle courses, mazes, moonwalks and sports tosses -- "that's where the kids can throw footballs and basketballs and that type of thing," says Janae Ledbetter, Bounce Zone's owner.
A separate toddler room with age-appropriate inflatables ensures safe play for children 4 and younger. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad can relax on the Observation Deck and watch the fun; a full concession area also is available.
Where: Bounce Zone, 14701 Cumberland Road, Fishers.
When: 6 to 9.p.m. today.
Tickets: $6.50 per child for 90 minutes of play time.
Info: (317) 770-8480, www.bouncezoneindy.com.
Exercise your emotions
Expect laughs one minute and tears the next during Buck Creek Players' production of the dramedy "The Deer & The Antelope Play."
"It's heartwarming, and you'll probably end up crying at the end, but there's a lot of laughter," says Lea Viney, the play's director. "You learn a lot about life....... It's just a really good, well-rounded show.
Written by Mark Dunn, it explores the relationships among a mother, daughter and grandmother, and how those bonds are affected by a free-spirited stranger.
Get a babysitter for the youngsters, though. Due to adult language, it's best for those in their teens and older, Viney says.
Where: Buck Creek Playhouse, 11150 Southeastern Ave.
When: 8.p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30.p.m. Sundays through March 16.
Tickets: $13 adults, $11 students and seniors 62 and older.
Info: (317) 862-2270, www.buckcreekplayers.com.
Splash down
Water-loving families can take a trip to the tropics without leaving Indy's boundaries. The indoor Indy Island Aquatic Center keeps the action going year-round with a shallow leisure pool, a deeper lap pool, a water slide, a water playhouse with plenty of spray features and an adults-only spa. Swim lessons and open-swim times also are available.
Feel like a splurge? On the city's Northside, Caribbean Cove Water Park entertains registered overnight guests at Holiday Inn North with Kastaway Kidz Island, a lazy-river ride, two 40-foot-tall tube slides and a sports-activity pool.
Where: Indy Island Aquatic Center, 8575 E. Raymond St. (in Raymond Park). Caribbean Cove, 3850 DePauw Blvd. (located inside Holiday Inn North).
When: 4 to 8.p.m. Wednesday and Friday, noon to 5.p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Indy Island). 4 to 9.p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4 to 10.p.m. Friday, 9.a.m. to 10.p.m. Saturday, 9.a.m. to 9.p.m. Sunday (Caribbean Cove).
Tickets: $4.50 adults, $3.50 youths ages 3 to 17 and seniors 55 and older, free for ages 2 and younger (Indy Island). Overnight room rates with waterpark admission vary at Caribbean Cove.
Info: (317) 862-6876, www.indygov.org (Indy Island); (317) 872-9790, www.caribbeancovewaterpark.com (Caribbean Cove).
Frogs a-hopping
In honor of Leap Day, the team at Holliday Park celebrates one of nature's favorite jumpers, the frog. For its monthly Family Friday Night program, naturalists will introduce participants to the lives and habits of these interesting amphibians. Weather permitting, guests may explore parts of the park's grounds, as well as the Nature Center.
"They'll probably get to meet some of the Nature Center inhabitants here. We have some frogs that live in the Nature Center," explains Rachel Quigley, a park naturalist and educator.
Where: Holliday Park, 6363 Spring Mill Road.
When: 7 to 8.p.m. today.
Tickets: $5 per family; registration is required.
Info: (317) 327-7180, www.hollidaypark.org.
Enjoy some 3-D vertigo
Grab a front-row seat for one of the world's hottest bands as Bono and the rest of U2 rock the IMAX Theatre at the Indiana State Museum. The combo of digital 3-D images, Surround Sound and the eight-story IMAX surface makes this larger-than-life experience leap off the screen with the intensity of a mega-tour.
The show was shot in South America during U2's Vertigo tour and features hits such as "New Year's Day," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "With or Without You." "Beautiful Day" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." Note: Check today's movie listings for other locations.
Where: IMAX Theatre, 650 W. Washington St.
When: 2:50, 4:55, 7 and 9:05.p.m. today, March 1 and 2.
Tickets: $13.50 adults, $11 seniors 60 and older, $10 children 12 and younger.
Info: (317) 233-4629, www.imax.com/indy
Jump into the Fringe
The Indy Fringe Festival is hosting a Leap Day edition of FringeFriday with performances by the Bloomington Playwrights Project and The Theatre Within. The Bloomington Playwrights Project will present 11 three-minute plays from its popular BLIZZARD event, which was hosted in January. The Theatre Within will preview its upcoming production of "The Laramie Project," marking the 10th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death. And if that's not enough, you also get to mix and mingle with Fringe performers, staff and volunteers.
Where: Theatre on the Square (Mainstage), 627 Massachusetts Ave.
When: 5:30.p.m. (mix-and-mingle), 6 to 7:30.p.m. (performances).
Tickets: Free.
Info: (317) 522-8099, www.indyfringe.org.
Blast off for space
Explore the universe from the comfort of the J.I. Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium at Butler University. One of the world's largest observatories open to the public, the Bulldogs' version hosts planetarium shows on Friday and Saturday evenings. The current offering focuses on The New Solar System and takes place rain or shine.
If skies are clear, visitors next can peer through the largest telescope in the state, searching out such celestial features as Saturn, Venus, Ring Nebula and various star clusters.
Where: J.I. Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave.
When: 7:30.p.m. (Planetarium show), 8:30 to 9:30.p.m. (telescope viewing, weather permitting) today and Saturday.
Tickets: $3 adults, $2 children, students and seniors.
Info: (317) 940-8333, www.butler.edu/holcomb/
By Julie Cope Saetre / Star correspondent
